Source: USDA, 12/20/16

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics
Service (NASS) released its results for the first-ever nationwide Local Food Marketing
Practices Survey today. The survey was designed to collect data related to the
marketing of foods directly from farms and produce official benchmark data on the local
food sector in the United States.

In 2015, 5,249 North Carolina farms reported direct farm sales of food, including valueadded
products, bringing in a combined $187,679,871. North Carolina comes in 10th in
the United States for number of farms selling foods locally, and 11th in total direct farm
sales.

“Local farmers markets, roadside stands and community-supported agriculture services
give shoppers the opportunity to make a real connection with the person who grows
their food, which benefits consumers and farmers alike,” said North Carolina Agriculture
Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Results of the Local Food Marketing Practices Survey
showing that 5,249 of North Carolina farms have direct farm sales is another indication
we are moving in the right direction in connecting consumers and farmers.”

A further breakdown of data shows:
Direct Farm Sales*
Total farms, excluding value-added products: 3,383
Total sales, excluding value-added products: $111,593,674
Total farms, only value-added products: 2,761
Total sales, only value-added products: $76,086,197
Direct to Consumer Sales**
Total farms, including value-added products: 5,070
Total sales, including value-added products: $134,012,289

“The data shows an increase from the nearly 4,500 farms reported in the 2012 Census
of Agriculture selling directly to consumers to the 5,249 farms in 2015,” said Dee Webb,
North Carolina state statistician. “This indicates the buy local movement continues to be
an important trend in North Carolina agriculture. It’s also a tremendous growth potential
for other North Carolina farmers not yet selling directly to consumers.”

In the United States 167,009 farms reported selling $8.7 billion in edible food directly to consumers, retailers, institutions and local distributors.
*Direct farm sales of food (crops and livestock raised on North Carolina farms) includes farms selling to:
• Institutions and intermediary businesses (schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, wholesalers, processors, distributors)
• Retailers (grocery stores, restaurants, caterers, food cooperatives)
• Direct to consumers
**Direct to consumer sales, a subset of direct farm sales, include:
• Farmers markets, onsite farm stores, roadside stands, Community Supported Agriculture arrangements, online sales, pick-your-own operations, and mobile markets.

Sales categories include both fresh food and value-added products (edible processed foods) such as bottled milk, cheese, meat, jam, cider, and wine.

For a full breakdown of all the data, visit https://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Online_Resources/Local_Food/index.php. For more information, call the NASS North Carolina Field Office at (800) 437-8451.